Places to eat in London: Banana Tree, Soho

I always love it when my work mate from our Eastbourne office comes up to my office to work for the day.  We both love our food and everyone gets very jealous of our lunch dates.

Today, we visited Banana Tree in Soho.  The cuisine served is from the Indochina region, taking inspiration from many South East Asian countries.

Lucie opted for the Crispy Chicken with Mango and Sweet lime sauce.  It looked lush and she polished it off.


We couldn't resist the Banana Tree Special Combo which included a Sesame Glass Noodle Salad, Sweetcorn Cakes, Spicy Crackers and Jasmine Rice.  These were all beautifully prepared and complimented the meal perfectly.

I went for the Thai Monks Vegan Delight.  I don't normally go for meat substitutes like this veggie "duck" but I'm glad I did.  It was moreish! It was served with pak choy, shitake mushrooms and tofu all stir fried in a garlic and oyster sauce.

As always, I love using my tastecard where possible.  You get 2 for 1 on main meals, great value for money!  Well worth a visit if you're looking for something a little different.

Banana Tree

103 Wardour Street
W1F 0UQ  

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Reliving our childhood at Laser Force

After reminiscing about past birthday parties at Laser Force, we decided to go for another trip for my brothers 21st.  Yes we know we are sad, but we had seriously forgotten how much fun this was. By the end of the night we were all running around screaming, crashing into each other and shooting aliens.

What birthday party would be complete without a cookie cake?

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Places to eat in London: XOXO, Islington

Dad was down in London today sitting a pretty tough exam, so when I suggested Thai food, he was on it!

Looked at some reviews and this little place in Angel/Islington seemed to come out on top. The restaurant is one or two tables wide and stretches right back. We took at seat at the window at the front, watching the goings on of Upper Street.



We took advantage of the two for £10 cocktails. Dad ordered a Mojito, it was beautiful and sharp, he is now very much looking forward to the cocktails in New Orleans, where the family is going later this year. There was so many to choose and I couldn't make my mind up. The barman kindly asked me my favourite spirit and mixer and came up with a brand new one, service or what!
It was lush!

For dinner I opted for the vegetarian Thai Green Curry, this is one of my favourite dishes, and it did not disappoint. Flavours were rich, spicy and authentic. Coupled with jasmine rice, I could have happily eaten another bowl full.

Dad went for the Tamarind Duck, he absolutely loves duck, so this was the meal for him.  He said it had been cooked well, and full of flavour thanks to the chef's signature sauce.  Truly scrumptious!




The quality of the meal and cocktails together with the Tastecard discount made the place a real steal. I recommend a visit!

XOXO Restaurant
74 Upper Street
N1 0NY

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Places to eat: Yo! Sushi, Leicester

My brother is currently studying for his Media Production degree in Leicester.  He was turning 21 on Monday, so we headed over there at the weekend to take him out for lunch.  He's in the middle of his dissertation so wanted something light and healthy. 

We have visited Yo! Sushi a few times now, and although I know it's a chain and may not be completely authentic, we never seem to have a bad meal here.

The miso soup is great, it's hot, light and comes packed full of tofu and seaweed.  You get unlimited cups for £2, bargain!

I love the concept of Yo! Sushi.  The kitchen is in the centre of the restaurant, it is open and everyone can see the food being freshly made.  The chefs seem very quick and knowledgeable about the bowls they are producing.

 

 

There is a variety of foods to choose from.  Lots of fish, noodles, rice and vegetarian dishes.  And if that's not quite up your street, they do chicken too! 

 

 
As there were five of us, we were shown to a booth.  Our entertainment for the meal was waiting until the very last second, before shouting at mum to grab the bowl going past.  She definitely deserved the Saki she ordered. Muhaha!

Yo! Sushi
Highcross, Leicester

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Places to eat in London: The Hoxton Pony tea party, Shoreditch

Had a cheeky visit to The Hoxton Pony on Tuesday night, what a place!  Full of different pieces of artwork.  It boasts a large variety of cocktails too, very unique selection, very well thought out.  The bar team are award winning, I can see why. 

We treated to ourselves to The Hoxton Pony tea party.  We decided to go for the Goose-vision cocktail served in one of their signature Infusion Jars.  This was such easy drinking, we got totally carried away!  I must try and recreate it, it included 1/2 bottle of Grey Goose, Vodka, pear puree, chambord, xante, lime juice, pear syrup, soda water and topped with apple juice.

We were also bought a cakestand full of cupcakes.   These are supplied by Little Tart Bakery and were excellent.  I definately recommend the ones that come with a genache filling.  We managed to work out way through them, one at a time.  Absolutely delicious!

Apologies for the photos on this one, its very dark in there and couldn't seem to get a good shot :(

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Soda bread (gluten free challenge)

My mum swears by this recipe, it always turns out great.

275g rice flour
110g tapioca flour
50g dried milk
Two bicarbonate of soda
Tsp baking powder
Tsp salt
Tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg
300-350ml buttermilk (175g milk and 175g yoghurt)

Once dry ingredients are mixed together, make a "well" for the buttermilk.  Form a claw with your hand and mix ingredients together.



Preheat 230 degrees Celsius
After 5 minutes, turn down to 180 for 25-30 mins

Comes out like this...

It's soft and slightly sweet.  Mmm home made bread :)

It goes down great with a bowl of home made soup!

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Places to eat in London: Chico Bandito, Shoreditch

Mexican food is one of my favourites!  Visited Chico Bandito last night, located in Shoreditch. Loved the work they had put into the bar area; the lighting, the bottles of spirits, perfect!  The atmosphere was set for a spicy feast.

I opted for the Cajun Vegetable tacos.  The portions were massive! Salad was fresh, rice was tasty and my plate was piled high with sour cream and guacamole. 

My cajun vegetable filling came in a plate of its own, pipping hot! Spicy peppers, onions, corgettes smoothered with cheese.  Authentic flavours, and plenty of it.

My friend, Rebecca, went for the Chicken and Ribeye fajitas.  Well, it would have been rude not to, wouldn't it? Succulent, juicy and came out sizzling.

It's pretty safe to say that we stuffed our faces!

 

Reasonably priced, combined with a Tastecard, it was an absolute bargain!  Definitely worth a try, the choice on the menu was huge.  Throughout the week, there are plenty of drinks deals to be had too.

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Baby shower and afternoon tea

My sister in law Natalie is having her first baby at the end of March. I wanted to do something special for her. After speaking with her mum, we decided on an afternoon tea themed baby shower.

Puddings and desserts is my mums middle name, so we set to work on a menu for the event. The end results....

Dark chocolate Brownies dusted with icing sugar.

Cake pops coated in pink and white chocolate, topped with edible glitter.

Delicate lemon squares

Rose and strawberry macarons

What afternoon tea would be complete without mini scones served with clotted cream and jam.

Natalie's friend kindly provided some pink baby carriage cupcakes too.

The lucky girl herself, literally showered with gifts.

Don't forget the party favours. She's ready to pop chocolate popcorn.

Vintage teacup rose flower arrangements, really set the table off nicely.

Last but not least, our over the top gift, a giant unicorn for baby!

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